Energy crisis excites woes

LAHORE – Announced and unannounced loadshedding have been crippling life in the City while unavailability of CNG and low pressure in the domestic sector have been rubbing salt into people’s wounds.

The national grid is facing around 4,000MW shortfall which means around eight hours load shedding in daily basis but, according to some sources, the federal government is shifting major electricity portion to Sindh and Khyber PK and thus Punjab’s rural and urban areas are under the grip of more than 10 hours outages.

The reason of shortfall was being described as low hydel generation which was due to ongoing canal closure period.

“The demand and supply gas will decrease in first week of January when desilting period would complete and water outflows from dams would become normal,” said an official of the power sector.

The Lesco in these days is conducting eight hours shutdown in major city areas while there is 10 hours load shedding in the compnay’s rural limits. The Lesco chief has recently said that domestic sector would be given priority in electricity supply and that there would be no discrimination in area wise power supply.

However, according to an official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the feeders in posh areas are conduting minimum load shedding as compared to the under developed localities.

“There is not more than four hours shutdown in Gulberg, Model Town and DHA areas while the residents of Green Town, Township, Shahdrah, Allama Iqbal Town and similar areas are facing around eight hours load shedding.”

The worst tripping was another menace which the residents had to bear on daily basis, he said. Furthermore, the practice of conducting consecutive eight to 10 hours load shedding is also continue on some feeders turn by turn in the name of maintenance and development work which resulted disappearing of water for even in mosques for offering prayer.

Another official said that the situation was same in the limits of Gepco, Fesco but there was little relief in Mepco region which were considered PPP dominated areas.

Shortage of gas to power plants and low hydel generation were the main reasons behind the widened gap between electricity demand and supply, added the official.